OBJECTIVES

In order for the pilots to operate successfully from the start, the database and the integration of the RFID and sensor data will need to be undertaken to full commercial standards. This has been taken into account in the work planning for this work package. The tasks in this WP are related to make a system that integrates all the resources identified (both hardware and software). The system will collect the data chosen at WP2 and send reports to a database. This can be either centralized or made by more databases linked each other.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Task 3.1 Enumeration of technology resources
The investigation will be split into two parts
Hardware Investigation:

• Selection of suitable antennas, study of antenna performance in different scenarios and antenna construction
• Enumeration of suitable technologies, standards and frequency bands
• Enumeration of available chips, chipsets, development kits, and other hardware requirements.

Specifically, the following points will be addressed:

• To assess advantages and drawbacks of different existing tags (active, passive, preprogrammed, smart-tags, self-adhesive RFID labels), and different standards available.
• To assess advantages and drawbacks of different existing readers.
• To assess the possibilities to support multi-protocols and multi-frequencies.
• Analysis of possible accomplishment to EU directives on RF power emissions
• Analysis of direction finding as a possible added-value feature of the system. Direction finding techniques may be used as a complementary tool to a positioning algorithm. The simplest technique to implement a direction-finding system is by means of radiogoniometry. It consists in using by two or more receivers the emission signal transmitted by a source to isolate the radio direction of this emitter.
• The reading network can implement a complementary tool to identify a false/malicious tag or to estimate the movement direction of a tag.
• Another possible application of these techniques is to isolate multipath components, to allocate interferences and for timing synchronization in TDD systems.

Software Investigation:

• Identification of the Database architecture to be used: it might be one only, or separated ones for each pilot/country. It strongly depends on the desired information flow.
• Gathering of any existent architecture of database, especially among EU founded projects
• Strong collaboration with WP2 in order to fully match cases
• To assess the adequacy of different middleware concepts to be applied to the intended system (dumb/intelligent readers, modular, synchronization with RFID resource planning software).
• To assess which mobile architecture and technologies should be used

The aim of this task is to choose the technological solutions gathered during Task 3.1 and match them with the protocols defined by WP2. Activities in WP 2 and 3 will run parallel based on strong communication and agreement aiming at identifying the most suitable solutions for the mapping of technology to the information model. This might consider the relevant information for system users, which will be identified within WP 2, in order to assure as many benefits as possible for all users. The selected solution intends to provide for efficiency, transparency and low costs, where possible.

Task 3.3 Database development
This task should give as output a series of applications developed on top of a database, e.g. the interface to translate SMS to a compatible format for storing in the database and a web interface to be used by the end consumer. Some specific tasks concerning database development will be the exploration of possibilities for RFID resource planning software, and the exploration of modularity concepts for the data base development.

Task 3.4 Systems integration
The aim of this task is obtaining a functional prototype, which can be tested by SMEs during the second phase of the project. Subsystems implemented in previous tasks will be jointly integrated in a full system to obtain a first functional operative prototype. Other specific tasks will include the development of operations to assure connectivity between readers and tags and actions to improve the reading distance of tags

Task 3.5 Evaluation of system and database
A controlled test-bed will be performed in anechoic chamber conditions. Also field experiments will be conducted in predefined sites to evaluate the system performance in the selected scenarios. The measurement outcomes have to be interpreted and analysed, which is fundamental to adjust the system performance. Besides, this task will be carried out in parallel with preliminary activities of WP4-8 in order to test both hardware and software in field. Thus, this Task is also dedicated to Field Test and Rework. Other specific tasks will include the testing of the reading distance from readers and tags, and assessment of the reliability during tag reading. The output from this task will be a best practice report which will form deliverable 3.2